United Airlines has unveiled a new feature for its MileagePlus members, enabling them to pool their miles into a joint account, a first among major U.S. airlines.
This innovative offering allows up to five MileagePlus members, including both relatives and close friends, to share and redeem miles collectively through a linked account accessible on United.com.
Luc Bondar, Chief Operating Officer of MileagePlus, expressed the company’s commitment to enhancing member benefits. We’re always looking for new ways to provide the most value to all of our loyalty members and are proud to be the first major U.S. airline to allow our members to pool their miles with their loved ones and friends,” Bondar stated. He further highlighted that “MileagePlus miles pooling further reinforces United’s position as the leader in family and group travel and gives our members more flexibility to use their miles while making it easier to connect to the destinations and moments that matter most, with the people that matter most.”
Travel Affordability with Families
The initiative comes in response to the growing demand for family travel, with a 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey revealing that 81% of parents intend to travel with their children in the next year, amidst concerns about travel affordability.
MileagePlus miles pooling is designed to simplify travel arrangements for families and groups, offering even the youngest family members the opportunity to contribute to the travel fund as there is no minimum age requirement for MileagePlus membership.
To become a pool leader and create a miles pool, a MileagePlus member must be over 18 years old. The process, which is free of charge, can be initiated from the member’s account on United.com. Pool leaders can then invite up to four individuals of any age, provided they have an active MileagePlus account, to join their pool.
Contributing and Redeeming Pooled Miles for Award Flights
United’s website guides members through the process of contributing to and redeeming from the pool for award flights on United and United Express. There are no restrictions on the amount of miles that can be contributed to a pool, and pooled miles are redeemable for tickets via United.com or the United mobile app.
The pooling of miles will not impact an individual’s Premier® status, and only travelers utilizing pooled miles for tickets will earn Premier qualifying points (PQP). It’s noted that PQP, Premier qualifying flights (PQF), PlusPoints, or TravelBank cash cannot be pooled.
The MileagePlus program continues to offer numerous ways for members to earn and use miles, more than any other U.S. airline, with benefits such as miles that never expire, earning opportunities through the United Family of Cards from Chase, MileagePlus ShoppingSM, and the option to pay for trips entirely with miles or a combination of miles and money.